Fossil fuel subsidies harm the environment and delay the energy transition. This post draws on the fisheries subsidies negotiations at the World Trade Organization to explore how the global trade body could discipline the use of fossil fuel subsidies and advance reform in this area. In December...

Energy dual pricing has been a contentious topic in the WTO for decades, but now the focus is on its harmful environmental effects. Dual pricing encourages wasteful consumption of fossil fuels and displaces cleaner sources of energy. There are several ways in which the WTO can and should contribute...

In this post, the author suggests different avenues and data sources to improve the transparency of fisheries subsidies. This could help bring WTO members closer to a negotiated solution, and to more sustainable exploitation of fisheries, an important step forward for all countries, and...

In this post, the author introduces a method that provides a universal yet flexible approach to determining the “degree of small-scaleness” of a fishery. This approach could serve as a basis for WTO negotiations on disciplining fisheries subsidies. Small-scale fishing plays a crucial role in...

In this article, the author assesses actions states and the international community should take to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. These actions include the global implementation of the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA). The promotion, regulation, and monitoring...

Developing countries face various complexities and challenges when negotiating large-scale investment projects with foreign investors. In this article, the author discusses how developing countries can be assisted in the negotiation process in order to reach mutually beneficial, durable, and...

A wide range of submissions on e-commerce has been made by WTO members over the past two years. “Awareness” has been raised. Frameworks, coverages, and approaches have been proposed surrounding e-commerce. In this article, the author discusses the current state of e-commerce and digital trade...